It's THAT time of year again...(off topic)

[Bill Rutter]

...but I've decided to treat myself to a hand-held games console. The thing is I'm not sure which one to get but I think a PSP or Nintendo DS are my options. I'm a bit puzzled as to what's what with the current trends so would appreciate any help with a decision. I don't think there's too much price differential and there are "bundle" offers available on both. I do seem to find that the PSP has capabilities that the DS doesn't however which might make it better value. It would be used to pass the time during breaks at work and commuting.

[Steffan]

my wife has just treated me to a new snugpak sleeping bag, although she doesn't know it yet....

[boze]

Trust me, as a 25 year old with every electronic contraption you can think of, when I say:

DO NOT GET A DS.

Get the PSP as they are waaaaay better. You can watch movies and listen to music on your PSP aswell as play awesome games. The range of games available for the DS is pathetic.

Do it man, get a PSP. You wont regret it

Damo

[guest27]

Collected my chrissy pressie yesterday - not allowed to play with it mind, a nice 50lb longbow and some wooden shaft arrows.

R

[pigafetta]

If you have a Gameboy you can play your old games on a DS. The PSP games look better though, not that I have either of them. I'm getting Twin Peaks season 2 and a wind-up radio for Christmas.

[Bill Rutter]

It looks like the PSP then. Although I've read somewhere that Nintendo have a 3rd version of he DS waiting in the wings which in all probability will have as much going for it as the Sony, if not more. It's like everything nowadays I suppose - whatever I buy will be out of date within weeks.

[Steve H]

Collected my chrissy pressie yesterday - not allowed to play with it mind, a nice 50lb longbow and some wooden shaft arrows.
R

Ive often thought of taking up archery. Theres a local group, which the kids have been along to.

[guest27]

Just started last year - not very good - but love the simplicity of the longbow.  Like the engineering complexity of compounds, but to me real archery is a bare longbow and wooden arrows....

Have some ash drying to try and make a bow with too - last one snapped!  Ooops.

Local club is one of the biggest longbow clobs in Britian - do not count though as they do not ban other types of bow - dont ask me, politics, but they do a lot of field archry - shooting targets that look like deer etc in the woods - more fun than killing a target, but easier to loose kit.  Theyu often get complaints from the public that they are actually shooting the deer in the park as the targets look so good.

R

[Alan Hughes]

Have just finished a book on the Battle of Agincourt, longbows were also rather good at killing the French, an excellent book I can thoroughly recommend it.

I bought my ten year old daughter a Nintendo DS for Christmas last year she loves it; lots of interesting games such as Bratz, Puppies and that old favourite Super Mario - err... but perhaps that's not the sort of games you had in mind!

[guest27]

I have only just started out - so have not got the proper kit, if I was to choose to do so, but a bunch of the local guys go to Agincourt every year to re-enact the battle - and funnily enough the French always loose.  Until this year (600 years is it) the French had refused to turn up and they had been played by 'others'  This year they came along and joined in.  Apparently - despite cheating - they lost again...

The bowmen of England and Wales did the business.

Can you imagine being allowed to fire a halfweight bow and blunted arrows at the bods from over there ... LOLOLOLOLOL


Looking at the blunt arrows they use - they would still hurt - and many of them are firing 90 to 100 lb bows too.

Saw a demo of a std arrow with a bodkin point fired from a 180lb longbow - my even at somethign like 150 metres it just punched holes through steel plate.

Oh well back to my lil boys 50lb bow I suppose.....

R

[guest7]

Longbow and armour:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15ppoxi3PM4

[guest24]

I believe I will have a Kylie infested Christmas again! New calendar for the kitchen and the new album for my ears.

A longbow sounds fun. Shame you cant mount them on motorcycles....

[themoudie]

Try a crossbow instead!

My "O" level woodwork and metalwork "project" was one using the plans supplied by Barnett's and a prod blank supplied by them.

All worked rather well, managing to put pile ended bolts through longbow targets with ease and reducing the rabbit population on the school playing fields.

Oh, happy days!

My regards, Bill.

[pigafetta]

I had a crossbow when I was a lad. A cheapo Barnett job. We used to lie on our backs in the park, fire it up straight in the air then get up and run like hell. All good fun. 

[guest18]

Parental caution note! 
Bow hunting is illegal in the UK, so don't get caught ok! 

Try a crossbow instead!

My "O" level woodwork and metalwork "project" was one using the plans supplied by Barnett's and a prod blank supplied by them.

All worked rather well, managing to put pile ended bolts through longbow targets with ease and reducing the rabbit population on the school playing fields.

Oh, happy days!

My regards, Bill.